IFS Recognized as a Top-Performing Lobbying Firm in 2015

As we’ve done quarterly, Bloomberg Government analyzed Lobbying Disclosure Act filings for the entire year to identify the top-performing lobbying firms of 2015, measured by six critical business performance metrics.

Of roughly 1,760 registered lobbying firms that filed disclosure reports with the Senate during 2015, only 25 met all of our criteria. Each firm, in addition to meeting a $1 million revenue threshold, had to exhibit revenue growth; accretive growth (positive percentage change in year-over-year average revenue per client); high short- and long-term customer retention rates; and exceptional revenue per registered lobbyist.

Relative performance in each of the five criteria outside of the revenue threshold was then calculated to determine the placement of the 25 firms on the list. Some highlights:

Lugar Hellmann Group made its third-straight appearance on a top performers list, tying for No. 1 with Allegiance Strategies. Combined, the two had top performances in revenue growth, accretive growth, and both retention rate criteria.

CGCN Group continued to demonstrate outstanding performance. It’s the only firm that has met Bloomberg Government’s top-performer standards for every edition of the rankings.

Eleven out of the 25 firms appeared on our third-quarter list.

Analysis of 2015 Activity:
Although lobbying spending increased during the fourth quarter of 2015 from the previous quarter, total spending for the year was less than in 2014. However, lobbying firm revenue in 2015 increased 0.67 percent from 2014.

Earlier this month, we looked at lobbying issue trends and updated our Lobbying Issues Analyzer using fourth-quarter filings. The analyzer can be used to examine lobbying activity on 79 issues.

Later this week, Bloomberg Government will publish the top-performing lobbying/law firms and top new lobbying firms. The rankings are based on slightly different performance criteria.